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Domodedovo International Airport bombing

SOLVED2011Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On 24 January 2011, a suicide bombing struck the international arrival hall of Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Russia's second-largest airport, located in Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast. The explosion, caused by an improvised device packed with shrapnel and chopped wire with a force equivalent to two to five kilograms of TNT, killed 37 people and injured 173 others, including 86 who required hospitalisation. Of those killed, 31 died at the scene, three later in hospitals, one en route to hospital, one on 2 February after being placed in a coma, and another on 24 February while hospitalised in grave condition. Investigators found a male head at the scene believed to belong to the bomber. Russia's Investigative Committee stated the attack was aimed "first and foremost" at foreign citizens, noting it was no accident that it occurred in the international arrivals hall.

The first identified victim was 29-year-old Ukrainian playwright Anna Yablonskaya, who had just arrived from Odesa to receive an award. Casualties also included foreign nationals; a British citizen, Gordon Cousland, and a German citizen were confirmed among the dead, while other nationality reports were later corrected or clarified. Slovak actors Zuzana Fialová and Ľuboš Kostelný were among those injured.

In the aftermath, flights were diverted to Vnukovo International Airport, airports across Russia began inspecting visitors (a practice later ruled illegal by an appellate court in June 2011), and commuter trains to and from Moscow airports ran free of charge. The Moscow stock exchange (MICEX) fell nearly two percent following the blast.

On 8 February 2011, a faction of the Caucasus Emirate led by Doku Umarov claimed responsibility and threatened further attacks. Russian officials identified the suicide bomber as 20-year-old Magomed Yevloyev from Ingushetia. Several associates were arrested in 2011, including Islam Yandiyev, Ilez Yandiyev, Bashir Khamkhoyev, and Magomed's 15-year-old brother Akhmed Yevloyev, who allegedly helped assemble the bomb. On 11 November 2013, following trial, Islam Yandiyev, Ilez Yandiyev, and Bashir Khamkhoyev were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Akhmed Yevloyev received a 10-year sentence as he was a minor at the time. Investigators said the bombing was carried out by Magomed Yevloyev on the orders of Doku Umarov, who was never apprehended. Yevloyev's sister and a friend were initially detained as suspected collaborators but were cleared of all charges by September 2011.

Domestically, President Dmitry Medvedev dismissed several officials over security failures, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin condemned the bombing, vowing that "retribution is inevitable." World leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, and Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the UN Secretary-General and NATO's chief, expressed condolences to Russia.

Key facts

Victims
Anna Yablonskaya, Gordon Cousland
Date
2011
Location
Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2011-01-24

    Suicide bombing occurs in the international arrivals hall of Domodedovo Airport, killing 31 at the scene.

  2. 2011-02-02

    An additional victim dies after being placed in a coma following the bombing.

  3. 2011-02-07

    Russian officials identify the suspected suicide bomber as 20-year-old Magomed Yevloyev.

  4. 2011-02-08

    A faction of the Caucasus Emirate led by Doku Umarov claims responsibility for the attack.

  5. 2011-02

    Magomed Yevloyev's sister Fatima Yevloyeva and friend Umar Aushev are detained as suspected collaborators.

  6. 2011-02-14

    Two separate suicide bombings occur in the village of Gubden, Dagestan, reportedly part of a related plot.

  7. 2011-02-24

    A further victim dies of injuries sustained in the bombing.

  8. 2011-06

    An appellate court rules the post-attack practice of inspecting all airport visitors illegal.

  9. 2011-09

    Fatima Yevloyeva and Umar Aushev are cleared of all charges related to the attack.

  10. 2011-10

    Four alleged associates of Yevloyev, including his 15-year-old brother Akhmed Yevloyev, have been arrested.

  11. 2012-01

    The Investigative Committee reports the investigation is complete, with indictment expected by March 2012.

  12. 2013-11-11

    Trial concludes: Islam Yandiyev, Ilez Yandiyev, and Bashir Khamkhoyev are sentenced to life imprisonment; Akhmed Yevloyev is sentenced to 10 years.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Anna Yablonskaya

    VICTIM

    29-year-old Ukrainian playwright, first identified casualty of the bombing

    citation on file

  • Ilez Yandiyev

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder

    citation on file

  • Doku Umarov

    CHARGED

    Leader of the Caucasus Emirate faction that claimed responsibility for the attack; investigators said he ordered the bombing, but he was never apprehended

    citation on file

  • Islam Yandiyev

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder

    citation on file

  • Bashir Khamkhoyev

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder

    citation on file

  • Akhmed Yevloyev

    CONVICTED

    Magomed Yevloyev's 15-year-old brother, allegedly helped assemble the bomb; sentenced to 10 years imprisonment as he was a minor at the time of the attack

    citation on file

  • Umar Aushev

    ACQUITTED

    Friend of Magomed Yevloyev, detained in February 2011 as a suspected collaborator; cleared of all charges by September 2011

    citation on file

  • Magomed Yevloyev

    CONVICTED

    Identified by Russian officials as the 20-year-old suicide bomber who carried out the attack; described in the indictment as carrying out the bombing on orders of Doku Umarov

    citation on file

  • Fatima Yevloyeva

    ACQUITTED

    Magomed Yevloyev's 16-year-old sister, detained in February 2011 as a suspected collaborator; cleared of all charges by September 2011

    citation on file

  • Gordon Cousland

    VICTIM

    British citizen and CACI analyst killed in the blast

    citation on file

Places

Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia

55.4086, 37.9061

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A suicide bombing in the international arrivals hall of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport on 24 January 2011 killed 37 people and injured 173 others; a Caucasus Emirate faction claimed responsibility and four men were later convicted.
Where did the bombing happen?
Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia.
Who was convicted?
Ilez Yandiyev (Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder), Islam Yandiyev (Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder), Bashir Khamkhoyev (Sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 November 2013 for terrorism-related offences including commissioning an act of terror, murder, and attempted murder), Akhmed Yevloyev (Magomed Yevloyev's 15-year-old brother, allegedly helped assemble the bomb; sentenced to 10 years imprisonment as he was a minor at the time of the attack), and Magomed Yevloyev (Identified by Russian officials as the 20-year-old suicide bomber who carried out the attack; described in the indictment as carrying out the bombing on orders of Doku Umarov).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Domodedovo International Airport bombingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Sydney Morning Heraldnews · The Sydney Morning Herald · 2026-07-07
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